Fluid-pressure mechanism.



vPATENTBD JAN. 13, 1903.

' H. R. MASQN.

FLUID PRESSURE MEGHANISM.

APPLIOATIGN FILED MAY 81 1901.

UNITED STATES PA TENT OEEICE.

' IIARRY R. MASON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTING- HOUSE AIR BRAKE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FLUID-PRESSURE MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,493, dated January 13, 1903 Application lecl May 8, 1901. Serial No. 59,244. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, HARRY R. MASON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid-Pressure Mechanism, (Case No. 3,) of which the following, taken iu connection with accompanying drawing, is a speciiication.

This invention has melation to a construction of Huid-pressure mechanism ofimproved form in which the Huid-pressure is arranged to actuate a controlling device by means of cooperating parts of novel construction so devised that the said controlling device can be brought into operation at any one of a plurality of pressures at will by the manipulation of a suitable manually-operated mechanlsm.

One object of my invention is the provision of a movable abutment for actuating a fluidpressure valve, said movable abutment being held against fluid-pressure by what I will for convenience of reference hereinafter refer to as a normal-load device -that is, a spring or its equivalent-and also under certain conditions or at certain times by a supplemental or auxiliary load deviceY arrangedY to be brought into operation by a manually-controlled cock or equivalent means.

The above, as Well as such other objects as may hereinafter appear, I attain by means of a construction which I have illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawing, in which 1 is a valve-casing having an .inletopening for 2 Huid-pressure and an outletopening 3, communication between which is established by a port 4, controlled by a controlling-valve 5, held by a spring 6 and tubular bolt 7 Within the stem 8, which, in conjunction with the diaphragm 9, held between the head of the bolt 7 and the stem 8, constitutes a movable abutment -for the valve 5. The diaphragm 9 is secured at its outer edge, as at 10, with a ring 11, back of which, held in place by a spring-case 12, is a spring 13, which forms the normal-load device of the mechanism, the tension of the spring or the amount of normal load being determined by proper adjustment of the adjusting-nut 14, the spring bearing upon a shoulder formed on the stem 8, so as to resist upward movement of the diaphragm or movable abutment from the pressure beneath the same produced by the fluid-pressure coming through the inlet 2.

Pivoted at 15 within the casing 1 is a bellcrank lever 16, one end of which at 17 engages the bolt 7 andthe other end of which, 18, has engagement with the sliding 'plunger 19, but reciprocates within a cylindrical chamber 2O inthe plunger-casing 21, the outer end whereof is provided with a threeway cock 22, controlling a passage 23, an outlet to the atmosphere 24, and a passage 25, leading to the rear end of the chamber which contains the plunger 19.

The mechanism described just above constitutes a supplemental-load device for the movable abutment and valve arranged to be thrown into or out of operation at will by suitable manipulation of the cock 22, as will now appear in connection with the operation of my invention, which is as follows: The part-s being in the position shown, air entering at 2 iills the chamber surrounding the valve 5, the

valve 5 being held shut until pressure accumulates beneath the movable abutment 9 sufcient to overcome the resistance of the normal load of the spring 13, determined by the adjustment of the nut 14, when the valve 5 will be raised and fluid-pressure permitted to escape through the outlet-passage 3. In this position of the parts the supplementalload device adds nothing to the normal load, because the pressures on the opposite sides of the plunger 19 are balanced through the passages 23 and 25, which are in communication throughthe cock 22. If, however, it be desired to increase the load upon the diaphragm or movable abutment, the cock 22 is turned so as to establish communication between the passage 25 and the opening 24, leading to the atmosphere, whereupon the balance of the pressure at the right of the plunger 19 being removed the entire area of the said plunger then becomes eective to exert a force tending to pull downward upon the valve 5. This force thus being added to the normal load or force of the spring 13 requires a higher pressure to cause the unseating of the valve. Thus any desired difference in pressure may be produced by a variation in the size of the plunger 19 or the leverage through which the force thereoi:` is communicated to the movable abutment. If it is desired to employ this device in conjunction with a plurality of different pressures, two or more than two plungers 19 might be added, with suitable ports and passages for controlling their operation in a manner substantially the same as is shown in the accompanying drawing.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fluid-pressure mechanism, comprising a casing, a valve, a movable abutment eX- posed on one side to fluid-pressure for opening said valve, an adjustable spring oppos ing said uid-pressure,a plungerhaving equal areas on its opposite sides exposed to Huidpressure, connections between the plunger and said valve, and a cock for releasing the pressure from one side of said plunger.

2. A Huid-pressure mechanism, comprising a casing, a valve, a movable abutment exposed on one side to fluid-pressure for actuating said valve, an adjustable spring opposing the movement ot said abutment, a plunger normally exposed on its opposite sides to fluid-pressure, a bell-crank connection between the plunger and said valve, and a cock for releasing the pressure from one side of said abutment.

3. A fluid-pressure mechanism, comprising a valve,a movable abutment therefor, a spring for maintaining a normal load upon said movable abutment, an adjusting device for regulating the normal load, and a supplementalload devicecomprsingaplunger having equal areas subject to fluid-pressure upon its opposite sides, a connection between said plunger and said movable abutment, and a valve for throwing said supplemental plunger into and out of operation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY R. MASON. Attest:

PAUL CARPENTER, 1I. W. SMALLEY. 

